32. Heroine is always a virgin (subverted)
33. Badass grandpa
34. Ambiguous disorder
35. Heroine loves children
36. Heroine loves dogs
37. Pretending to be in a fake relationship for a case (Ava, with her “podiatrist”)
38. Explain, explain … oh, crap!
39. All women are lustful
40. Good Will Hunting reference
41. Metareferences (Ava suggests she’s living in a romantic comedy)
42. Author pokes fun at her own book (“It’s part of why this is such a shitty story”)
43. Disability alibi
44. Never the obvious suspect
45. Amateur sleuths are never the suspect (inverted: several people think Ava might be the killer or, at best, had guilty knowledge of the murder)
46. Only bad guys dislike the heroine
47. No more running speech
48. Exposition victim
49. Hurt/comfort (Ava and Tom)
50. Alone with the psycho
51. Bad liar
52. The reveal
53. Heroine comes to an understanding about herself that was obvious to literally everyone else
54. Keep ’em talking
55. Heroes swear a lot (subverted)
56. Good girls don’t swear (subverted)
57. Big romantic epiphany
58. Evil gloating
59. Motive rant
60. Happily ever after
Also by MaryJanice Davidson
The Love Scam
Danger, Sweetheart
Me, Myself and Why?
Yours, Mine, and Ours
You and I, Me and You
Faeries Gone Wild
No Rest for the Witches
About the Author
MaryJanice Davidson is the internationally bestselling author of several books, including the Betsy the Vampire Queen series. Her books have been translated into several languages and are available in fifteen countries. She writes a biweekly column for USA Today and frequently speaks to book clubs and writer’s groups, teaches writing workshops, and attends conferences all over the world. She has published books, novellas, articles, short stories, recipes, and movie reviews. You can sign up for email updates here.
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Epigraphs
Author’s Note
Prologue
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty-One
Twenty-Two
Twenty-Three
Twenty-Four
Twenty-Five
Twenty-Six
Twenty-Seven
Twenty-Eight
Twenty-Nine
Thirty
Thirty-One
Thirty-Two
Thirty-Three
Thirty-Four
Thirty-Five
Thirty-Six
Thirty-Seven
Thirty-Eight
Thirty-Nine
Forty
Forty-One
Forty-Two
Forty-Three
Forty-Four
Forty-Five
Forty-Six
Forty-Seven
Forty-Eight
Epilogue
Romance/Horror Trope List
Also by MaryJanice Davidson
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
First published in the United States by St. Martin’s Griffin, an imprint of St. Martin’s Publishing Group
TRUTH, LIES, AND SECOND DATES. Copyright © 2020 by MaryJanice Alongi. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Publishing Group, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271.
www.stmartins.com
Cover design by Philip Pascuzzo
Cover illustration: plane © Malte Mueller / Getty Images
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Davidson, MaryJanice, author.
Title: Truth, lies, and second dates / MaryJanice Davidson.
Description: First edition. | New York : St. Martin’s Griffin, 2020.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020028416 | ISBN 9781250053176 (trade paperback) | ISBN 9781466855458 (ebook)
Subjects: GSAFD: Love stories.
Classification: LCC PS3604.A949 T78 2020 | DDC 813/.6—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020028416
eISBN 9781466855458
Our ebooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, extension 5442, or by email at [email protected].
First Edition: 2020
* optimized profile descents
* Engine-indicating and crew-alerting system.
* This is a real shirt!
* The only acceptable treat distributed by ice cream trucks. This is not opinion but established fact.
* Medical review officer.
* To find out what Blake Tarbell has been enduring, check out Danger, Sweetheart. It’s problematic. He’s barely exaggerating.
* Slang for “passengers.”
* These bandages exist! These are a real thing!
www.perpetualkid.com/bandages/
* No relation, alas.
* MBTA (Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority), the city’s subway system, is, from personal experience, pretty great.
* Narcotics Anonymous. For more info, check this: www.na.org.
† This really happened when I was there!
* Flight-crew slang. The ones who cluster around the gate right before boarding, inadvertently blocking everyone’s way so they can be first on the plane. I have been guilty of this many times over. #noregrets
* BBC Sherlock reference!
* Don’t judge! Happens all the time. It doesn’t mean that person is dumb. Just uncoordinated. Or so I’ve heard. Because that’s definitely never happened to me in real life. Not once.
* Ladies: get one. Like, yesterday.
† “Glad you liked it.”
* When Harry Met Sally …
Truth, Lies, and Second Dates Page 22